Sankha Ghosh (born Chittapriya Ghosh; 5 February 1932 – 21 April 2021) was an Indian poet and literary critic. He was born in

Chandpur District Chandpur District () is a district located in Chattogram Division of Bangladesh. It was part of Comilla District until 15 February 1984.Musa, Muhammad. Brahmanbariar Itibrittyo, Shetu Prokashoni, Brahmanbaria,1998. History During the rule ...

of the then

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

, present day

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. His ancestral home was at

Banaripara Upazila Banaripara () is an upazila of Barishal District in Barisal in southern-central Bangladesh. History During the Independence War in 1971, the Pakistan Army killed 212 in Gava Village, where all Ghosh Dastidar and Ghosh Ray used to live and they ...

Barisal District Barisal District, officially Barishal District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh, it was formerly called Bakerganj district, and established in 1797. Its headquarters is in Barisal city, which is also the headquarters of Barisal ...

. He spent his childhood and adolescence in

Ishwardi Upazila Ishwardi (, ''Ish-shordi'', officially ''Ishurdi'') is an upazila of Pabna District in Rajshahi Division. It is the westernmost upazila of Pabna district. This upazila is a dynamic administrative region with a rich cultural heritage and significan ...

Pabna District Pabna District () is a district in west central Bangladesh. It is a geographically and economically important district. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town. The main five rivers of this district are: Padma, Jamuna, Baral, Atra ...

, which was his father's workplace. Ghosh passed matriculation from Chandraprabha Vidyapitha,

Pabna Pabna () is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about . Etymology * According to the historian Radharaman Saha ...

. He got his undergraduate degree in Arts in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

from

Presidency College, Kolkata Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the ''Hindoo College'', it was later renamed ''Presidency College'' in 1855 and functioned as a leadi ...

in 1951 and subsequently his master's degree from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

in the year 1954. Acclaimed in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, his work lacks global recognition due to poor English translations.

Career

Ghosh taught at many educational institutions, including

Bangabasi College Bangabasi College is a Kolkata-based liberal arts, commerce and sciences college. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses of the University of Calcutta. It was founded by Girish Chandra Bose, an educationist, social reformer and agric ...

, City College (all affiliated to the University of Calcutta) and at

Jadavpur University Jadavpur University ( abbr. JU) is a public state funded research university with its main campus located at Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established on 25 July in 1906 as ''Bengal Technical Institute'' and was converted into ...

, Jangipur College,

Berhampore Girls' College Berhampore Girls' College is a women's college in Berhampore, in Murshidabad district, in the state of West Bengal in India. It is affiliated to the University of Kalyani. Departments Accreditation The college is recognized by the Univer ...

all in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. He retired from Jadavpur University in 1992. In 1967, he participated in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Iowa City, IA Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which encom ...

. He also taught at

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

, the

Indian Institute of Advanced Studies The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) is a research institute located in Shimla, India. It was set up by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in 1964 and started functioning from 20 October 1965. History and establishment The ...

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

, and at the

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati (IAST: ''Viśva-Bhāratī''), () is a public central university and an Institute of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which ...

. He won many awards including

Jnanpith The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

Award in 2016. His pen name was ''Kuntak''. Among the most respected names in contemporary Bengali literature, Ghosh was one of the ‘

Pancha Pandavas In Indian football, Pancha Pandavas () or VADAS, refers to the East Bengal penta-forward-line consisting of Ahmed Khan, Appa Rao, P. Venkatesh, P.B.A. Saleh and K. P. Dhanraj, who played together for the club from 1949 to 1953. During the Pan ...

’— along with

Shakti Chattopadhyay Shakti Chattopadhyay (25 November 1933 – 23 March 1995) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life. He was a green poet, many of his poems raised the issue of nature in crisis. ...

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (September 7, 1934 – October 23, 2012) was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic. He played a key role in modernizing Bengali poetry and co-founded the 1953 Avant-garde, avant-gra ...

Binoy Majumdar Binoy Majumdar (; 17 September 1934 – 11 December 2006) was a Bengali poet who received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2005. Biography Binoy Majumdar was born in Myanmar (then Burma) on 17 September 1934. His family later moved to what is now ...

and Utpal Kumar Basu — who gave a new identity to the Bengali literary world. Ghosh was a member of the Social Network for Assistance to People (informally Association SNAP) that published a ground-breaking survey in 2014 that revealed the extent of poverty among the Muslim community of

Death

Ghosh and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on 14 April 2021. Later he suffered from several complications and died on 21 April 2021, at his home in Kolkata. 8 days after poet's death, his wife Pratima Ghosh also died from COVID-19 complications.

Literary contributions

Shankha Ghosh made contribution to the world of Bengali poetry. ‘Days and Nights’, ‘Babar’s Prayer’, ‘Face Covered in Advertisement’, ‘Gandharva Poems’ are his notable books of poetry.Although Shankha Ghosh was initially known as a 'poet', his prose works are numerous. He has combined poetry and prose. He was an eminent Rabindra expert, noting Rabindranath Tagore's 'Ocampore Rabindranath', 'A Amir Awaran', 'Kaler Matra O Rabindra Natak', 'Chhander Baranda' and 'Damini's Song'. ‘Words and Truth’, ‘Urvashir Hasi’, ‘Ahan Sab Alik’ are his other notable prose works. His writings have been studied and popular in Bengali for years. The poetic mind of Shankha Ghosh, its speed is two-way. On the one hand, that mind is always aware of the repercussions of all the socio-political events of the day.Ghosh's sensitive poetry roared against any unjust injustice in the society. The people of the lower classes, the poor can get the poetry of Shankha Ghosh as a companion to their daily suffering. Shankha Ghosh work identifies inequality of society, lack of justice with his infallible poems.

Works

Poetics 1. Dinguli rātaguli () (1956) 2. Ekhan samaẏa naẏ () (1967) 3. Nihita pātālachāẏā () (1967) 4. Saṅkha ghōṣēr śrēṣṭha kabitā () (1970) 5. Adima latāgulmamaẏ () (1972) 6. Mūrkha baṛa sāmājika naẏa () (1974) 7. Baburēr prārthanā () (1976) 8. Minibook মিনিবুক(1978) 9. Tumi to temon gaurī na'ō ��ুমি তেমন গৌরী নও 1978) 10. Panjarē dāṛēr Shabda ��াঁজরে দাঁড়ের শব্দ 1980) 11. Kabitāsangraha -1 কবিতাসংগ্রহ -১ (1980) 12. Praharajōṛā tritāla প্রহরজোড়া ত্রিতাল1982) 13. Mukh ḍhēkē jay Bigyapanē ��ুখ ঢেকে যায় বিজ্ঞাপনে (1984) 14. Bandhurā māti tarajāẏa ��ন্ধুরা মাতি তরজায় 1984) 15. Dhuma lēgēchē hr̥idakamalē ��ুম লেগেছে হৃদকমলে 1984) 16. Kabitāsaṅgraha - 2 কবিতাসংগ্রহ - ২ (1991) 17.Lainei chilāma bābā লাইনেই ছিলাম বাবা1993) 18. Gāndharva kabitāguccha গান্ধর্ব কবিতাগুচ্ছ (1994) 19.Saṅkha ghōṣēr nirbācita prēmēr kabitā শঙ্খ ঘোষের নির্বাচিত প্রেমের কবিতা(1994) 20. Mini kabitār boi ��িনি কবিতার বই (1994) 21. Saber uparē śāmiẏānā শবের উপরে শামিয়ানা1996) 22.Chhandēr bhitarē ēto andhakār ছন্দের ভিতরে এত অন্ধকার1999) 23. Jol'i pāṣāṇ hoẏē āchē জলই পাষাণ হয়ে আছে 2004) 24. Samasta khatēr mukhē pali সমস্ত ক্ষতের মুখে পলি 2007) 25. Māṭikhōm̐ṛā purōnō karōṭi মাটিখোঁড়া পুরোনো করোটি(2009) 26. Gōṭādēśajōṛā ja'ughara গোটাদেশজোড়া জউঘর 2010) 27. Hāsikhuśi mukhē sarbanāś হাসিখুশি মুখে সর্বনাশ(2011) 28. Prati praśnē jēgē ōṭhē bhiṭē প্রতি প্রশ্নে জেগে ওঠে ভিটে2012) 29.Bahus Various stabdha paṛē āchē ��হুস্বর স্তব্ধ পড়ে আছে (2014) 30.prēmēra kabitā ��্রেমের কবিতা 2014) 31 . śaṅkha ghōṣēra kabitāsaṅgraha ��ঙ্খ ঘোষের কবিতাসংগ্রহ (2015) 32. śuni nīraba ciṯkāra শুনি নীরব চিৎকার (2015) 33. ē'ō ēka byathā upaśama ��ও এক ব্যথা উপশম 2017) Prose 1. kālēra mātrā ō rabīndranāṭak কালের মাত্রা ও রবীন্দ্রনাটকএ1969) 2. niḥśabdēra tarjanī নিঃশব্দের তর্জনী ,1972 2. Chhonder Baranda (ছন্দের বারান্দা) 1972 3. E Amir Aboron (এ আমির আবরণ) 1980 4. Urbashir Hasi (উর্বশীর হাসি) 1981 5. Shobdo Ar Satya (শব্দ আর সত্য) 1982 6. Nirmhan Ar Srishti (নির্মাণ আর সৃষ্টি) 1982 7. Kalpanar Historia (কল্পনার হিস্টোরিয়া) 1984 8. Journal (জার্নাল) 1985 9. Ghumiye Pora Album (ঘুমিয়ে পড়া এলবাম) 1986 10. Kobitar Muhurto (কবিতার মুহূর্ত) 1987 11. Kobitalekha Kobitapora (কবিতালেখা কবিতাপড়া) 1988 12. Aitihyer Bistar (ঐতিহ্যের বিস্তার) 1989 13. Chhandamoy Jibon (ছন্দময় জীবন) 1993 14. Kobir Abhipray (কবির অভিপ্রায়) 1994 15. Ekhono Shob Alik K (এখন সব অলীক ক) 1994 16. Boiyer Ghor (বইয়ের ঘর) 1996 17. Somoyer Jolchhobi (সময়ের জলছবি) 1998 18. Kobir Barmā (কবির বর্ম) 1998 19. Ishara Abirat (ইশারা অবিরত) 1999 20. Ei Shahar Rakhal (এই শহর রাখাল) 2000 21. Ichhamatir Mosha: Bhraman (ইচ্ছামতির মশা : ভ্রমণ) 2002 22. Daminir Gan (দামিনির গান) 2002 23. Gadyasangraha 1-6 (গদ্যসংগ্রহ ১-৬) 2002 24. Abishwase’r Bastab (অবিশ্বাসের বাস্তব) 2003 25. Gadyasangraha - 7 (গদ্যসংগ্রহ - ৭) 2003 26. Saman’yo Asaman’yo (সামান্য অসামান্য) 2006 27. Prem Padabali (প্রেম পদাবলী) 2006 28. Chhera Kambiser Bag (ছেঁড়া ক্যামবিসের ব্যাগ) 2007 29. Somaypote Shankha Ghosh: Kobita Sonkolon (সময়পটে শঙ্খ ঘোষ : কবিতা সংকলন) 2008 30. Bhinna Rucir Adhikar (ভিন্ন রুচির অধিকার) 2009 31. Aroop Ar Udbhavon (আরোপ আর উদ্ভাবন) 2011 32. Bot Pakur Er Phena (বট পাকুড়ের ফেনা) 2011 33. Gadyasangraha - 8 (গদ্যসংগ্রহ - ৮) 2013 34. Dekhar Drishti (দেখার দৃষ্টি) 2014 35. Ayowar Diary (আয়ওয়ার ডায়েরি) 2014 36. Nirbachito Prabandha: Rabindranath (নির্বাচিত প্রবন্ধ : রবীন্দ্রনাথ) 2014 37. Nirbachito Prabandha: Nana Prasanga (নির্বাচিত প্রবন্ধ : নানা প্রসঙ্গ) 2014 38. Nirbachito Gadyalekha (নির্বাচিত গদ্যলেখা) 2015 39. Gadyasangraha - 9 (গদ্যসংগ্রহ - ৯) 2015 40. He Mahajiban: Rabindra Prasanga (হে মহাজীবন : রবীন্দ্র প্রসঙ্গ) 2016 41. Berate Jabar Sinri (বেড়াতে যাবার সিঁড়ি) 2016 42. Alpo Swalpo Katha (অল্প স্বল্প কথা) 2016 43. Nirahang Shilpi (নিরহং শিল্পী) 2017 44. Gadyasangraha-10 (গদ্যসংগ্রহ-১০) 2018 45. Lekha Jakhan Hoy Na (লেখা যখন হয় না) 2019 46. Param Bandhu Pradyumna (পরম বন্ধু প্রদ্যুমন) 2019 47. Sandhyandir Jole: Bangladesh Sonkolon (সন্ধ্যানদীর জলে :বাংলাদেশ সংকলন) 2019 48. Chhere Rekhei Dhore Rakha (ছেড়ে রেখেই ধরে রাখা) 2021

Awards

* Narsingh Das Puraskar (1977, for Murkha baro, samajik nay) *

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...

Award (1977, for Baabarer praarthanaa) *

Rabindra Puraskar The Rabindra Puraskar (also Rabindra Smriti Puraskar) is the highest honorary literary award given in the Indian state of West Bengal. This award is named after the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and is administered by the Government of ...

(1989, for Dhum legechhe hrit kamale) *

Saraswati Samman The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 23 languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India. It is named after the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. The Sar ...

for his anthology ''Gandharba Kabitaguccha'' *

Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize or Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation is a literary honour in India, presented by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, given to "outstanding translations of creative and critical works" in 24 ...

for translation of Taledanda (Kannada) Play into Bengali named ''Raktakalyan'' (1999) * Desikottam by

Visva-Bharati Visva-Bharati (IAST: ''Viśva-Bhāratī''), () is a public central university and an Institute of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which ...

(1999) *

D.Litt. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

Vidyasagar University Vidyasagar University is a Public university, public research university that was established by an Act of the West Bengal legislature which was notified in the ''Calcutta Gazette'' on 24 June 1981. It is an affiliating university in Paschim Me ...

(2010) *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

(2011) * Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement "Sahityabrahma" Award by the World Forum for Journalists and Writers (WFJW) (2015) *

Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (abbr. IIEST Shibpur) is a public technological university located at Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1856, it is one of Institute of National Importance funded ...

Shibpur Shibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the ...

, India (2015) *

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian ...

by the Government of India (2016)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh, Shankha Writers from Kolkata Presidency University, Kolkata alumni Bengali-language poets People from Banaripara Upazila Recipients of the Rabindra Puraskar Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Calcutta 1932 births 2021 deaths Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education Academic staff of Jadavpur University Academic staff of Visva-Bharati University Indian literary critics Academic staff of City College, Kolkata International Writing Program alumni Bengali male poets Bengali Hindus Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Gangadhar National Award Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India 20th-century Bengali poets 21st-century Bengali poets 20th-century Indian poets 21st-century Indian poets Indian male poets 20th-century Indian male writers 21st-century Indian male writers Hindu poets People from Chandpur District